The first production CV-22 Osprey was delivered on Sept. 16 to the U.S.
Air Force. Produced jointly by Bell Helicopter and Boeing, the CV-22
is the U.S. Air Force Special Operations variant of the V-22 tiltrotor
aircraft, and will be used for long-range special operations missions,
contingency operations, and evacuation and maritime missions. Also last
month, the Department of Defense approved full-rate production of the
V-22. The decision allows the program to increase production beyond the
current minimum sustaining rate of 11 aircraft per year to 48 by the
year 2012.

Also Around Boeing:

Addressing more than 600 Boeing retirees, Commercial Airplanes
President and CEO Alan Mulally discussed the changing commercial airline
environment during a live webcast Aug. 25 at the Museum of Flight in
Seattle, with links to sites in Auburn and Edmonds, Wash. Later that
day, Mulally spoke before 200 business, community and government leaders
at the museum. Boeing held the two town-hall-style events to tout commercial
aviation's significance to the local and U.S. economies and to spotlight
Boeing's newest airplanes, the 787 Dreamliner and 777-200LR Worldliner.

More than 300 Boeing employees and retirees volunteered to support
the inaugural Boeing Greater Seattle Classic golf tournament, held in
August in Snoqualmie, Wash. This PGA Champions Tour event raised $750,000
to benefit the Heart Institute at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle.

Boeing World Headquarters is helping the Muntu Dance Theatre
of Chicago build its own performance space in Chicago. The Muntu Dance
Theatre is one of the United States' premier art institutions specializing
in authentic and progressive interpretations of African and African-American
dance, music and folklore.

Wed to the deal: Boeing, Ethiopian put icing on the cake

One
couldn't miss the parallel events during the Aug. 25 official signing
celebration between Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines for 10 787 Dreamliners.
Scott Carson, Commercial Airplanes vice president of Sales, and Ato
Girma Wake, Ethiopian Airlines CEO, concluded an elaborate ceremony
by jointly slicing a cake adorned with the logos of both companies'
and the 787.

Indeed, Carson shuffled his own 35th wedding anniversary plans to
fly on short notice to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and lead the Boeing
team for this commemoration. Also at the event were hundreds of local
stakeholders, including Ethiopian President Girma Wolde Giorgis.

"One of the rewarding things about working in this region is
the close personal relationships we develop with our customers and
the feeling that after all the hard work is done, we've truly made
a positive impact in helping build an infrastructure for continued
growth and success," said Lee Monson, Commercial Airplanes
vice president of sales for the Middle East and Africa.

Ethiopian Airlines is scheduled to begin flying the 787 Dreamliner
in 2008.